Python sails from Florida Keys to mainland

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Category: Science/Environment

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. sneak / snik / (v.) – to quietly and secretly go somewhere to avoid being seen or noticed
    Example:

    My mom doesn’t know that my brother sneaks out of the house to go out with his friends late at night.


  2. peninsula / pəˈnɪn sə lə / (n.) – a long piece of land connected to a larger land area that’s almost entirely surrounded by the water
    Example:

    The ship stopped at the eastern peninsula.


  3. descend from (someone/something) / dɪˈsɛnd frʌm / (phrasal v.) – to have something or someone in the past as one’s origin or source
    Example:

    Some studies have found that birds descended from a certain type of dinosaur.


  4. captivity / kæpˈtɪv ɪ ti / (n.) – the state of being kept in a place, such as a prison or a cage, and not being able to escape from it
    Example:

    We went to the zoo and saw some pandas born in captivity.


  5. devour / dɪˈvaʊ ər / (v.) – to quickly eat all of something, especially because one is very hungry
    Example:

    The bear devoured lots of salmon.


Article

Read the text below.

A python looking for a joyride snuck aboard a sailboat in the Florida Keys and ended up staying until the boat finished its nearly 160-kilometer voyage, police said.


The crew found the 2.1-meter snake in the boat’s shower after docking Nov. 12 in Marco Island on southwest Florida’s Gulf Coast after the trip from Indian Key, a distance of about 155 kilometers around the southern tip of the peninsula, police said.


Police quickly responded and transferred the snake to a local wildlife handler, according to a police news release.


The police department posted multiple photos of a uniformed officer grinning wildly on the boat with the python coiled around his arm.


Pythons believed to be descended from pets freed from captivity over past decades are now ravaging native species in parts of South Florida and overrunning the Everglades.


The pythons, which can grow to 6.1 meters and 90 kilograms, are devouring native mammals and birds.


In May, an “8-foot-long-plus” (2.4-meter-plus) python was reportedly captured on a boat in southeastern Florida. (AP)


This article was provided by The Japan Times Alpha.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • The python was able to sneak aboard a sailboat in the Florida Keys and ended up staying until the boat finished its nearly 160-kilometer voyage. If you were part of the crew, what would you do if you discovered the snake (ex. try to capture it, take photos with it)? Why? Discuss.
  • Pythons have been reportedly ravaging native species in parts of South Florida and overrunning the Everglades. What do you think residents of these areas should do (ex. get training on how to handle snakes, keep their pets/animals safer)? Why? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • The pythons invading South Florida and the Everglades are believed to be descended from pets freed from captivity over past decades. Why do you think their previous owners freed them? What do you think pet owners should do when they want to let go of their pets (ex. contact wildlife centers, give their pets away to other people)? Discuss.
  • Would you also like to try taking care of exotic pets like pythons? Why or why not? Discuss.